Broken Frontier

Ash returns to the infamous cabin in the woods to try and free himself of his undead foes once and for all.

With his beloved Sheila trapped in the Deadite dimension, Ash has reached the end of his rope. He is determined to sever his enemies’ ties to this world forever and reclaim his life, his love, and his sanity. Unfortunately, this means returning to the place where it all began—the cabin in the woods where an archaeologist first unleashed the power of the Necronomicon (in the original Evil Dead film, for those of you keeping score at home). What more can these undead monstrosities take from him before Ash is finally free?

Writer James Kuhoric has a knack for Ash’s smartass quips and he handles the scripting of this issue well. However, the very nature of the story brings some of the shortcomings of this comic to the forefront. When the Army of Darkness series was announced, my first reaction was "That poor sap is still fighting the Deadites?" And indeed, Ash Williams’ world appears to be a never-ending parade of walking corpses, dark magic, and Lovecraftian horror. Those looking for a bit of zombie-fighting fun with acerbic pop cultural wit will be entertained and Dynamite has successfully captured the feel of the films. But the revisiting of the movies’ themes also lends a slight "been there, done that" element to the proceedings, especially given this issue’s return to the original setting. The intention is to bring Ash’s trials full circle though it feels instead like a retread of the film.

Regardless of what path the series takes, it’s going to look good doing it. Kevin Sharpe illustrates this issue with a nice blend of realism and the horrific surreal. Through Sharpe’s creepy renditions of demonic floorboards and severed appendages and the moody lighting of colorist Blond’s palette, this cabin is presented as the last place anyone would want to be. Sharpe delves a bit into cheesecake territory with Ash’s female ally though this is not out of place in the campy tone of the book.

Just as Batman can fight the Joker a thousand times without any real progression in their rivalry, so Ash will presumably be continually fighting the undead and losing hapless girlfriends to their evil. For some readers, this may be a source of frustration. For others, it is as it should be. Actual change to the status quo coming from this trip to the cabin seems doubtful though Dynamite may yet surprise us.